Half to chaeles swinscoe



(No Model.)

B. 'SGARLES.

BATTERY ZINC.

Patented Aug. 21, 1888.

N. ravens. Photo-Lithographer. Walhingnm ac Nrrnn STATES PATENT Erica.

BENJAMIN SCARLES, OF CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCHARLES SWINSCOE, OF SAME PLACE.

BATTERY-ZINC.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,312, dated August21, 1888.

Application filed February 17, 1888. Serial No. 264.328.

T0 whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN SOARLES, of Clinton, in the county ofWorcester, State of Massachusetts,haveinvented a certain new and usefulImprovementin Battery-Plates,of which the following is a descriptionsufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in theart or science to which said invention appertains to make and use thesame, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 is an isometrical perspectiveview of my improved battery'plate, and Figs. 2 and 3 views showingdifferent forms of construction. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a capadapted to cover the cylindrical element shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is asegment of the cap adapted to cover the square element shown in llg. 1.

Like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts inthe different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates more especially to the zinc electrodes for thatclass of galvanic batteries known as dry batteries; and it consists incertain novel features, as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, theobject being to produce a more effective and otherwise desirable platefor batteries of this character than is now in ordinary use.

In the construction of battery-zines for electrical purposes it has beenusual to form the zinc of proper shape in accordance with the size orstyle of the battery, and then amalgamate it with mercury to protect itfrom the corrosive action of the acidulated solution in which it isimmersed when the battery is in use; but in the process of amalgamationgenerally employed the mercury forms merely a coating for the zinc orunites with it on the surface only, and hence the degree of protectionafforded is comparatively limited, the amalgamated portion being soondestroyed and the zinc thereafter left entirely unprotected againstlocal action. My invention is designed to obviate this objection ordifficulty, and also to produce a battery-plate of this charactersuperior in other respects to those now in ordinary use, and to that endI makeuse (No model.)

of means that will be readily understood by all V conversant with suchmatters from the following explanation.

My improved plate comprises a zinc or series of zines proper, and alsoan absorbent body or series of absorbent bodies or felts; and inconstructing the zinc I take a sufficicnt quantity of pure orapproximately pure commercial zinc and granulate it by any con venientmethod known to the arts,after which the grains may be passed through asieve or sieves to separate or remove the coarser pieces, if desired. Ithen select such a quantity of the grains and of such a grade as may benecessary for use in forming the zinc to be made and submit them to theaction of diluted acid to brighten them or remove the oxide from theirsurfaces, after which they are mixed in any suitable vessel withmercury, a sufficient quantity of mercury being used to cover thesurfaces of all the grains of zinc and form an amalgam massLconsistingof mercury and zinc, the mass being thoroughly stirred or agitated untilthe grains are combined with the mercury and perfectly amalgamated. Ithen take a mold made of any suitable material and corresponding inshape interiorly with the zinc to be formed and fill it with the amalgamor compound of grains of zinc and mercury and submit the mass when inthe mold to pressure by any suitable means. The mold is provided withperforations or openings, through which the surplus mercury may pass offas the pressure is applied; and it should not be filled to such anextent with amalgam as to prevent the appliances for exerting a pressureon the mass within the mold from being readily operated. Havingcompressed the mass of amalgain within the mold and expressed thesurplus mercury to such an extent as may be deemed desirable, I removethe zinc from the mold and wash it in water to remove any remainingtraces of acid, after which it is placed in any convenient place to dryand harden, which soon occurs under ordinary circumstances.

In place of the granulated zinc, wire-cloth or zinc in any other formadapted to produce a homogeneous mass of amalgam when eombined with themercury may be employed, if preferred.

The use of granulated zinc and mercury in the manner described enables azinc to be formed possessing nearly any desired degree of porosity,depending mainly 'upon the size of the grains and the degree of pressureexerted upon the mass in the mold, and as the mass is homogeneous, ornearly so, it will be obvious that it is substantially indestructible,and hence that a zinc constructed in the manner described will to agreat extent obviate the inconveniences and other leading objectionsresulting from local action or from the destructive action of theacidulated solutions of the battery on the zinc when it is not in use,as in the case of zincs of the ordinary construction. The porous natureof the zinc permits it to absorb a sufficient quantity of the acidulatedsolution such as is ordinarily used in batteries to charge it and enableit to act for a long period after being removed from the solution, andhence it is specially adapted for use in dry batteries. Having cast ormolded the required number of zincs, as described, I take felt, asbestusor any suitable absorbent material and cut or form from it a number ofpieces corresponding, or approximately so, in size with the zinc orzincs to be used in making the plate. The zincs and pieces of felt arethen assembled and arranged substantially as shown in the drawings, inwhich m represents the zincs and w the felts. The pieces of felt and thezincs are preferably arranged alternately, and to facilitate theabsorption and circulation of the acidulated solution the zincs may beperforated, if desired.

In Fig. l a plate composed of long pencils of zinc and felt isshown,thefiles or tiers being separated by partitions t, composed of themercury and zinc amalgam described. These partitions serve to connectthe zincs, and thereby increase the force of the battery, and also tokeep the files of zinc and felt pencils in proper position.

In the plate shown in Fig. 2 the zincs and felts are formed in the shapeof disks, which are arranged alternately one above the other, the zincsbeing connected and all of the disks kept in position by a pencil, o,composed of the mercury and zinc amalgam, and which is inserted in ahole through the centers of the disks.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a plate having a vertically-arranged pencilof the zinc and mercury amalgam surrounded by tubes of felt and saidamalgam arranged alternately, any

numberof the tubes being employed in accordance with the size of thebattery. The tubes of amalgam are connected by the round me tallic capa, (shown in section in Fig. 4,) a square cap of the same kind beingused to connect the pencils in Fig. 1; but the zincs of the plate may beconnected by any suitable and convenient metallic connections. When thezincs and felts are arranged in position substantially as described, theplate thus formed is placed in any suitable vessel adapted to containand keep them in position, and the acidulated solution (sulphuric acidand water or any other proper solution) is poured into the vessel,whereit is permitted to remain until the plate is thoroughly saturated, afterwhich the surplus liquid is poured out and the plate used in the batteryin connection with a carbon electrode in a manner that will be readilyunderstood by all conversant with such matters without a more explicitdescription. 7

In place of the composite zincs m, constructed as described, zincs madeand amalgamated in the ordinary manner may be employed, ifdesired.

. The partitions t are provided with perforation (not shown) to permitthe circulation of the fluid. The disks and tubes shown in Figs. 2 and 3are also provided with perforations (not shown) for a like purpose.

It will be obvious that the conducting-wires of the battery may beconnected with the plate in any convenient and suitable manner.

As I have made a battery-zinc constructed of granulated zinc and mercurythe subject matter of another application (Serial N 0. 242,494, filedJune 25, 1888) for Letters Patent, I do not herein claim the same,broadly.

'Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is-- 1. An electrodefor a galvanic battery,comprising zincs, interposed felts, and metallicconnections between the zincs.

2. An electrode for a galvanic battery,comprising a number of zincs anda number of felts disposed in alternation, the zincs being connected bymetallic connections.

3. An electrode for a galvanic battery, comprising a number of zincs anda number of felts disposed in alternation in juxtaposition and saturatedwith an acid solution, said zincs being connected by metallicconnections.

BENJAMIN SOARLES.

Witnesses:

O. M. SHAW, E. M. SPINNEY.

